TO THE deafening beat of big bass drums and the occasional firecracker, tens of thousands of banner-waving trade unionists marched through the heart of Buenos Aires on March 7th, in protest at job losses and inflation. “We’re up to here,” said Silvia Blanchoux, a hospital cleaner, gesturing with a hand across her throat. “My rent has gone up, and my daughter is unemployed.”
The protest coincided with a strike by teachers. This stirring of opposition comes at a delicate time for Argentina’s president, Mauricio Macri, and his efforts to repair the damage inflicted by the populism of his Peronist predecessors, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her late husband, Néstor. In October Mr Macri’s centre-right Cambiemos (“Let’s change”) coalition faces a mid-term election for almost half of congress. This will be a symbolic referendum on the government.
In fact, it is surprising that Mr Macri, a former businessman, remains as popular as he is (his approval rating is around 50%). His victory in November 2015 was unexpected. He inherited a country whose future was mortgaged: international reserves were negligible; a dispute with...Continue reading
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